Ann McMahon PhD MSc BSc PGDiploma CMS, RMN RGN
RCN Research and Innovation Manager
Standards Knowledge & Information Services, Nursing Department
Tel: 07778-776 161
Assistant: Denise Alexis, 020-7647 3852
Email: ann.mcmahon@rcn.org.uk
Biography/Current role
Ann McMahon graduated with a CNAA Bachelor of Science in nursing degree and registered in general and mental health nursing in 1979. She worked as a staff nurse in a psycho-geriatric unit in Dumfries and in acute surgical admissions in Glasgow before specialising in cancer nursing at the Christie Hospital in Manchester. Ann worked first as a staff nurse and latterly as a clinical nurse specialist. She took a year out to study full time for a Master's degree in nursing at Manchester University. Her dissertation explored the potential of cognitive behavioural therapies as a means of relieving anticipatory nausea and vomiting in patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy.
From Manchester Ann moved to Stafford to take up post as an Assistant Director of Nursing Services where she was responsible for research, development, quality and informatics. She took up her position as R&D Adviser at the Royal College of Nursing in 1994.
Through a stakeholder consultation exercise, Ann developed the RCN's first R&D strategy and established the RCN R&D Co-ordinating Centre at the University of Manchester. From here she directed a programme of work to:
- influence research commissioning agendas
- develop and make accessible to nurses support for R&D activity
- disseminate knowledge to nurses to inform policy and practice decision making
Following the review of the RCN Institute in 2006, Ann facilitated the development of a new strategic direction for research within the RCN based on a vision where research activity is recognised as coherent, strategic and relevant. Six strategic recommendations (MS Word, 169K) were agreed by Council in July 2007 and Ann is currently leading on their implementation. In 2009, Ann managed, in partnership with colleagues in the Community Practitioner and Health Visitors' Association and in the Royal College of Midwives, the development and launch of the Academy of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Research.
In 2010 Ann took on the leadership role in the RCN on innovation in practice. She manages the innovation stream within the RCN’s Front Line First campaign and her job title changed to reflect this development in December 2010. She is currently working with the Office for Public Management, building nursing capability in the economic assessment of nurse led innovation and improvement, supported by a grant from the Burdett Trust for Nursing.
Ann and her team support the work of the RCN's Research Society and the RCN's annual international nursing research conference's Scientific Committee to continually improve the quality of the conferences and increase the quality and transparency of the scientific process.
Ann has a wide range of publications and is an accomplished editor. Ann was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Critical Management Studies by Lancaster University in 2006 and was awarded a PhD in 2008 from Salford University. Her PhD thesis is entitled 'The politics of innovation: a critical examination of the conditions in which innovations in health care may flourish' (abstract). She is an Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) accredited trainer and a Visiting Research Fellow at Glasgow University.